I'd like to test the software, and I own a Garmin handheld receiver with USB connection. Can it be used with Hydromagic ?

Yes, Hydromagic offers functionality to connect Garmin handhelds that are equipped with an USB port.

Garmin is using the proprietary PVT protocol for it's devices. Hydromagic has a built-in plugin to decode PVT data by accessing the Garmin USB driver directly.

This plugin can be started by selecting "Preferences" from the "Options" menu. Select the "plugins" tab and locate the "Garmin USB PVT plugin for Hydromagic" item. Select it and click the "Start" button.

Now restart the software, and you should see position data in the dataview, when the GPS receiver has acquired a valid fix.

For more information about using and configuring plugins, please refer to the manual:

Configuring hardware using plugins